This blog will post every workout I do as I prepare to compete at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials. I will be 38 years old when I swim the 100 breaststroke at the Trials in Omaha, so my journey to this meet will be unlike that of just about all the other competitors attending Trials.

Friday at Tucson Ford Masters is always distance day. I knew this going in, but it did not make the workout any easier. The main set was quite tough, and I was extremely surprised that my aerobic endurance got me through the set with little difficulty.
I will admit that I took a little break during the 300 to prepare for the 3x100s. I did only 250 meters by turning around at the halfway point after 225 meters. I wanted a little more rest to get my heart rate down before preparing for the 100s. If I hadn't, I might not have been able to hold 1:11 on the second round.

Through the set, I was doing my best to keep up with a great distance swimmer, Jeff Utsch, who was in the lane next to me. I should have known better to keep pace with a guy who swam distance free at Arizona and has been a top Masters swimmer for many years. But, again, I was glad my body kept going through the set, and that I was able to hold such fast times on the repeats. I had originally planned to average 1:15. You don't think that's much of a difference, but it is. Those four seconds mean a lot, especially on the final two 100s. It wasn't just Jeff and I that were swimming so fast on that set. Everyone else seemed to step up and do very well, and I was glad to be a part of it.

The best thing to come out of that set is not only some endurance training, but some good freestyle work, particularly for my 200 IM. I tend to falter badly on my freestyle on the 200 IM, and workouts like this really help with that. Yes, my primary focus for the next 80 days is my 100 breast, but I am not forgetting that I'm swimming at the US Masters nationals the following week, and I'll need to keep in touch with my other strokes in the interim.

About Me

I am a lifelong swimmer, following the black line on the bottom of the pool since I was four years old. This sport has taken me around the world as an elite swimmer and Masters swimmer.
I work at Swimming World Magazine in numerous capacities, covering swimming at all levels.
I am also the author of "Odd Man Out: An Autobiography," which chronicles my journey through this sport.